Video Of Teen Athlete Caused A Stir After People Pointed Out Strange Detail
Rotational lunges, knee-to-chest walks, side shuffles — warming up before a workout is vital, especially for Australian champion sprint hurdler Michelle Jenneke. Michelle, an athlete since she was 10 years old, took her sport seriously, but she still knew how to have fun. So while at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, her unique warm-up routine caught the internet's attention, creating a whirlwind of controversy — and a ton of new hurdles to leap over!
Sporty Spice
Australian athlete Michelle "Shelly" Jenneke, who's 27 as of 2021, has spent her whole life moving her body. Whether it was dance or soccer, she's participated in sports since childhood. But it wasn't kicking, or swinging, or spiking that infatuated the brawny gal; it was leaping over hurdles.
The Hurdling Event
“I was always a very sporty kid," Michelle told Stellar magazine in 2017. "Pretty much any sport I could try, I would do. When I was nine years old, I signed up for Little Athletics. I didn’t train that year, I was just competing. Hurdles was always my favorite event, even though I wasn’t particularly good at it back then." She practiced and practiced.
Raw Talent
Eventually, she got good — really good. Her family supported her seemingly adamant passion, as she started professionally training for hurdling at the age of 10, initially just once a week. “It wasn’t until I made my first Australian team in the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, at age 17, that I realized I could compete professionally," she stated.
Racking up Titles
But in reality, Michelle was already making waves in her sport at just 15 years old. For two straight years she claimed fourth place in her race at Australia's National All Schools Championships, and came in second place in the 100m hurdles at New South Wales All Schools Championships, amazingly hitting a time of 13.07 seconds.
